Bang! Bang! Rattle, Rattle! Rumble, Roar! the Sounds of an Unhealthy Furnace vs. a Healthy One

Furnaces are like people. Whey they are healthy, you hardly hear them. When they are unhealthy, they make a lot of noise. If you have a noisy furnace, it may or may not be "healthy" based on the type of furnace it is. It is safe to assume, however, that a furnace that was not particularly noisy or unusually noisy before and is now making all kinds of noise is probably in need of repair. Here is how you can tell the difference. 

Like a Hammer in a Dryer

If your furnace sounds like a hammer tossed into an empty dryer on high every time the furnace kicks on, there is definitely something wrong. That much noise can only mean that there is something loose inside that is smacking into the fan/blower while the fan/blower is trying to spin and create circulation. Quite often it is the fan blades or part of the blower itself, which can cause a lot of major damage if you just let it continue banging like that. Call an HVAC technician and have them listen over the phone. There is a good chance that within a couple of seconds they will tell you to turn the furnace off completely and arrange to come to fix it right away. 

Like Washers or Nuts Rolling Down a Grate

This sound is hit or miss. Some old furnaces just rattle like this because the screws or bolts that hold the access plates on are loose and just need to be tightened. Of course, if your furnace is not that old and you have already checked the screws/bolts on the access plates and tightened them, then maybe there is something else afoot with your furnace. In that case, it does not hurt to have a repair technician look at it. 

Like a Vacuum in a Wind Tunnel

That loud, sucking sound you initially hear in a wind tunnel as it is initially turned on is quite the roar. You could almost compare it to a twin jet engine plane with that same sort of sucking roar. This happens more often in furnaces that use gas or oil because a vacuum has to exist in the fuel delivery lines in order to pull fuel toward the ignition switch. However, you may hear it in an electric furnace when the forced air motor is not working properly. The technician can tune up the motor and replace it for a quieter furnace. 

If your furnace is making any of these noises, it might be time to schedule furnace repair. Contact an HVAC team near you to learn more today. 


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